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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BLACKHAWKS v DUCKSMay 20, 2015Joel QuennevilleCHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Practice Day Q. Coach, what did you think of Kyle's game? COACH QUENNEVILLE: I liked his game. I think he'll get a little better off yesterday's game, too. He's one of those kids, the more he plays, the more he sees what's out there, I think he'll take advantage of that. His quickness was noticeable. Made a lot of direct plays. I thought he was quick in the puck area. He's defended well. Didn't play a ton, but certainly his minutes were meaningful. I think that was a good start for him. Q. How much of a challenge was it, obviously the physical exhaustion, but to remain mentally focused throughout that contest? COACH QUENNEVILLE: Well, our team deserves a lot of credit for their patience and their consistency in that game. It was a battle that didn't lose its pace. Both teams left it out there. The way we played in the Minnesota series, we have to bring that same type of recipe into this series. You don't want to change much. Manufacturing stuff sometimes can lead to trouble. Safe and smart plays can get you through it. I think both teams had their turns. There were some dangerous moments around nets, several sequences, long extended periods, as well. It was an unbelievable game at the end of the day. We got the bounce at the end. Excited about being back here. Q. Talk about the penalty kill going into the series. I know it's not the biggest sample size. Playing them these last two times, being able to shut them down, why has it worked so far? COACH QUENNEVILLE: Several key kills late in the dying moments of that game, late in the third, overtimes. Big kills. We lost some penalty killers through those stretches, too. That was very timely. Whether it's clears, blocking shots, the dangerous looks, you know, your patience level with the puck is high end. One hit the crossbar. Definitely had some good luck, got Getzlaf off the rush. It's not like they didn't get their chances, but I think we did some good things. That's an ongoing challenge. Q. Kyle played 57 seconds in the third period but almost six minutes in the last overtime. Was that just because of fatigue for your veterans guys or did you see something in Kyle that showed improvement? COACH QUENNEVILLE: He was moving fine. I don't think anybody changed the way they were playing. As far as fatigue, there might have been a small drop‑off across the board. I don't think it was very noticeable at all. No, I just think he was going all right. Sometimes you're comfortable with the matchups. We got a little bit more of a regular rotation. Q. The fact that you played such an extended game last night, does it impact the way you use your players tomorrow? COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think both teams are in that same situation. You're playing to win that game. How they score, how the game's going to be played out dictates how you're going to delegate ice time. I think that will be determined. Q. You said last night that was about as intense a game as you've ever been involved with. Do you expect the intensity will pick up where it left out? COACH QUENNEVILLE: Even the first game had a lot of emotion, as well. I think both teams got a lot of respect for what the other team's capable of doing. There's a lot of skill, a lot of balance on their team. They got four lines that can score, skate. We feel we got to battle it with our four lines as well. A lot of depth on these teams. You got to bring the importance of each shift. Very noticeable in a game like last night. Q. How impressed have you been with the goaltending on each side? COACH QUENNEVILLE: The goaltending was spectacular last night. When you look at key saves, you know, even simple plays at the net, traffic, it was kind of going to be one of those type of goals that we scored on. They had some tremendous looks. Crow challenged it one‑on‑one with Perry. He had several key saves, a lot of traffic around him as well. He was fine in Game1, as well. Their goalie has been pretty solid throughout the playoffs. But you could talk about some highlights in the game. I think the goaltenders stole the show. Q. I know you've said you coach each game to win that game. Big picture, how much concern do you have about the wear‑and‑tear factor on Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, those guys? COACH QUENNEVILLE: They just had 10 days off, so I feel pretty good about it. Q. Are we to the point now in the playoffs where you just can't worry about that stuff? COACH QUENNEVILLE: I mean, their defense played just about as many minutes as Dunks, Hammer, Seabs. They're playing hockey. Not much recovery time. Q. There seemed to be a trend yesterday where you played really well the first 10 minutes, then they seemed to take advantage in the last 10 minutes. Anything you can pinpoint why? COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think every game is different in knowing that against that team they're going to have stretches where they're going to be in your end. We had stretches where we were in their end. Trying to nullify the high‑quality stretches when they're in your end, cycle shifts is what you try to prevent. I think both teams had those long shifts, then you take an icing which makes it tougher sometimes. It was on the road in their building, against a good team, I thought we played two pretty good games. Q. Shaw last night, safe to say one of his best performances? COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think he was effective in a lot of ways, entertaining in another way (laughter). That line was effective, as well. Dangerous in some ways. Useful in a lot of ways. Shawsy was at the net and effective as well. Q. Have you broken down the game with video, and did you have to hit rewind a couple times with the head‑butt thing? COACH QUENNEVILLE: I did everything. I watched the whole game on the plane ride here. That took a little while (laughter). Q. To win a game in triple overtime, overcome the disallowed goal, is that just experience? You have played so many of these games, more than any team in the league. Is that experience kind of showing itself? Do you think that really wins those games? COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think it helps knowing that no matter what happens, the highs and lows, guys stick with it, between periods, getting theirselves reenergized, making sure they hold each other accountable in ways. They push one another. It's all positive. The guys have been through it, are tested in these situations. In those tight situations, it can be a factor. Q. Can you at all explain why Duncan is able to maintain the consistency he does? COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think as the game was progressing, it seemed like he was picking up his play. It was pretty remarkable. I think that's how we see him play all the time. That's a very unique quality that he has. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, coach. COACH QUENNEVILLE: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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